I Spent 60 Days Abroad- Here’s The Long Term Travel Tips You Need To Know
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which earn me a small commission from bookings at no extra cost to you. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
For the 60 days I was away from home I slept everywhere from luxury hotels, unique airbnbs, central hostels, and even petsitting for a stranger. Here’s what I learned.
Pack Light
When traveling long-term, avoid overpacking. Only carry essential toiletries and specialty items like your favorite hair products. You don’t need to bring all the shampoo you need for two months. Quality toiletries are supplied just about everywhere.
Even if you run out of something, you might find a new favorite when shopping at your destination. I always do a haul from French pharmacies, and was surprisingly impressed with the natural brands in Australia.
The same goes for clothing. Some of my favorite pieces I’ve found while shopping abroad, and I got to wear them right away when I was running low on fresh clothes. Additionally, sometimes your destination has a much better selection of location appropriate clothing than your stores back home. I’ve found flowy dresses aplenty in Greece, clearance rain jackets in New Zealand, and unique vintage blouses in Paris.
There’s nothing worse than never wearing or using the things you brought around the world with you and carrying that extra weight through multiple countries. I’ll never forget two weeks in Europe carrying a whole duffel bag of coats because the week before we went there was an arctic front, but by the time we were there it was back to normal. Therefore, pay extra attention to not just the weather, but weather patterns in the region you are visiting.
Organization
Moving accommodations every couple nights requires an optimized packing strategy. Since I was going to be in various types of climates, I did a packing cube for each type of weather. That way I wasn’t digging through wool shirts while I was looking for a bikini in Bali.
If you are packing for a trip that is less than two weeks, then you should have a clear schedule of activities that allows you to plan your outfits ahead of time. When packing, put all the pieces of the outfit together so you can simply grab the next outfit in your luggage.
If you are planning a longer getaway, then you may need to pack your clothing into categories, like tops, bottoms, and dressy or swim. That way you can flexibly mix and match. Speaking about flexibility…
Be Flexible
Long-term travel requires adaptability. Prepare for unexpected changes like weather delays or itinerary adjustments. Leave more time for scheduled activities in case they are cancelled. Helicopter tours, boat trips, and driving mountain passes are all weather dependent. This along with unforeseen circumstances, like getting sick or a canceled flight, can mess with an itinerary. Type A travelers like me could not imagine any other option than pushing through, but when things are out of your hands, the extra time can a be a reassuring fall back. Booking excursions through an agency like Viator is beneficial since many of their activities offer free cancellation.
Flexible hotel cancellation policies allow for spontaneity in extending stays or moving on from less-than-ideal locations without financial strain. You may like one location more than you thought and would like to stay longer. Sometimes you realize an area is not what you thought, and you’re ready to say ‘thank you, next.' It pays to be able to rearrange your schedule over having to plan another trip to a destination, endure another marathon of long travel days to get back there, or just be thinking about what could have been if you had stayed longer.
Traveling for two months doesn’t necessarily mean visiting a new city everyday, but rather fully exploring wherever you go. Slow travel can still be exciting if you base yourself in one city to explore all the neighborhoods, day trip into the surrounding area, and make friends that make you feel like you could live there.
Think outside the box
This is when research comes into play.
Sometimes the accomodation is the main activity, like this bungalow in New Zealand or this liveaboard in Cairns.
Sometimes, a luxury stay is just what you need to recharge the batteries or recover from a long haul flight. I really appreciated the Conrad Etihad Towers Abu Dhabi after flying over from America and navigating the chaos of Cairo on a connection earlier in the day.
Other times, be reasonable when it is just a place to crash. Keeping in mind how you’ll be feeling and knowing all your options in an area will help you to make the best decision.
While I leveraged several chain hotel programs for points and stays, boutique hotels offer unique perks. Local hosts, homemade breakfasts, and personalized attention will make you forget all about basic hotels. Here’s some of my favorite:
Don’t rule out more hostels. Hostels can be in excellent locations and offer private rooms with ensuites just like a hotel. They also have discounts on activities and offer free events. This can essentially be like a concierge service, and is an easy way to meet people.
In a more rural area, there can be creative places to stay. Treehouses, castles, and bamboo huts by the beach are all at your disposal with a little searching. Airbnb is one way I like to find these properties by exploring under their various categories.
Petsitting is a very budget friendly way to really get the sense of what living in the area would be like. You can explore new neighborhoods, shop the local grocery store, cook, try local restaurants beyond the main drag, take your time. Some opportunities are in the countryside, others in the city. I tried it out in Melbourne, Australia through Trusted Petsitters and loved having a home base.
Key Takeaways for Long Term Travel
Enjoy the journey of long-term travel with these practical tips on packing, flexibility, and accommodation. Embrace the adventure while staying within budget constraints and making the most of every destination.
If you want to know more about my itinerary around the world and how I made it happen on a budget then check out this blog post.
